Lobbying World

• Democratic powerhouse Heather Podesta + Partners has hired Anne MacMillan away from The Wonderful Company, the manufacturer of brands including Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice and Fiji Water. MacMillan had advised the company on federal government and regulatory affairs. 

• John Monsif, a former chief of staff to Reps. John Delaney (D-Md.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), has been named the vice president of government relations for First Focus. Monsif will focus on budget, appropriations and tax policy for the children’s advocacy organization. He knows those issues well, having served as the senior director of government relations for the Save the Children Action Network. 

{mosads}• FleishmanHillard hired Gabriela Duran to serve as a managing supervisor in the firm’s healthcare practice in Washington. Prior to that, she worked at a nonprofit development organization called FHI 360, where she worked on public outreach campaigns for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and focused on HIV/AIDS prevention.

• Michael Rivera has become a partner at Schiff Hardin financial markets and products group. Rivera comes from law and lobby firm Venable and specializes in representing companies and individuals in government investigations and enforcement proceedings. Rivera served as the chief investigative counsel for the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program from 2010 to 2013. 

• K&L Gates partner Michael Missal has been confirmed by the Senate to serve as the inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Missal has served at the firm for almost three decades, including as lead counsel to the Independent Review Panel for CBS that investigated the “60 Minutes” segment in 2004 on President George W. Bush’s Texas Air National Guard service. He also helped the Senate Ethics Committee with an investigation of former Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.).

• Betsy Barrett has left Glover Park Group for Food Policy Action, where she will serve as political and communications director. Prior to joining Glover Park two years ago, she helped launch the Internet Association.